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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Dec 25, 2022 22:49:10 GMT -5
There was no hiding the very slight disappointment Gerhart held for having to venture through Frost Gale again. For all of his relentless optimism and can-do attitude, working in the bitter cold seemed to be one of the few things he was openly not a fan of. The thick gloves made it hard to really grip his sword and the layers under his armor hindered his mobility he felt. Still, there was work to be done and people in need of help.
He blew into his hands to warm them up and help thaw the knuckles. Admittedly, he knew little about who his partner would be for this trip. There were only passing meetings at the Guild, but work always kept everyone busy. After his time at court and the bandit hut with Shaa, he was ready for a simple job though. Do a little bit more team building and take care of things that are not so heady or troubling.
Gerhart glanced down at Astrid, curious about her age a moment but he was always told it was rude to ask a woman's age. "You all set to go? Let's hope to Ginma we won't be out here too long."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 25, 2022 23:27:38 GMT -5
Frost Gale isn't Astrid's favorite destination in Charon, per se. She can't decide if she prefers the extreme cold to the extreme heat of Zeinav. Both of them suck, frankly. In the desert, her hammer can keep her cool at least, and in Frost Gale, her hellhound companion makes for a good personal space heater. Her hearty dwarven heritage makes her a bit more partial to the cold, she thinks. Well, that heartiness might be from the cold nights on the streets in the mountaintop village of Sky Peak. It also might be due to her love for thick gloves and freshly learned affinity for ice magic. Wielding a hammer so heavily enchanted with ice magic at least has her fingers used to the cold too. So, yeah. Frost Gale isn't that bad. The journey up here from Capitol Landing certainly was a journey, but with a new friend and trusty companions Charles and Spicy Pawsage at her side, the only way this would be any better is if Blue Raspberry or Cantio came along. One of them isn't suited for the cold, and the other isn't suited for the type of work the fighter's guild does. Either way, a trip to Bleakfort hasn't been a bad thing! She can reunite with a couple of friends she's made recently. Besides, she wants to follow up on something one of the dwarven merchants told her a few weeks ago... Compared to Astrid, Gerhart looks like he's having a rougher time. She observes the man as they make their way toward the outer edges of The Pale City to embark on their journey along the road to search for clues. The half-dwarf pats her hellhound's side and motions for him to go over to Gerhart. With a slight grumble, the hound slinks over to the older fighter and huffs, releasing a small flame up into the air. The black hound's chest thrums with warm red energy. "Last chance ta change yer mind 'bout travelin' in the wilds with a little girl," Astrid jokes, trying to lighten the mood. Honestly, for a kid, she's pretty well-equipped all things considered.
Quest Name: Tracks in the Snow Chapter: One Description: Reports of the yeti have come from somewhere in between Bleakfort and the Pale city. We need you to track down the creature, picking up tracks, clues and hints as to where the creature is dwelling. The yeti is probably calling a local cave home so we need to find it. However storms and blizzards have been getting worse out there so the clues may be quickly fading away.
Requirements: - Requires at least two people (you and one other, the other does not need to be interested in the guild) - You must make at least 5 post with each post being 150 words to complete the mission. - You must locate clues and tracks leading to the yetis cave - You must deal with the impending weather and harsh climate - Once you complete this mission you have finished this quest line
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Dec 26, 2022 19:47:33 GMT -5
"I think it's a little too late for that, didn't do all this walking for nothing." He gives a little laugh as they start walking. Gerhart certainly was having the worse time with far fewer friends to keep him warm, but the quicker this job ended the quicker he could find a tavern and warm up.
For now, he didn't mind taking point on the walk and making his way though the snow. He had plenty of tracking experience at this point and was familiar enough with the snowy tundra to have a grasp of moving along the expanse.
"Let's hope these yetis make a mess like most other beasts, makes them easy to track if there's a big mess of footprints." Gerhart gave a wide smile ignoring how the cold would bite as he teeth for even the briefest moment. He was definitely in the camp that extreme cold was way worse than extreme heat. Traveling across the sands with Zarius sucked, but he wasn't as miserable there as he was here.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 26, 2022 22:41:19 GMT -5
"Well, I think one of the merchants that made it back said they were attacked a few days out, so it'll be a bit of a miserable walk..." Astrid says. "But if there's some wreckage, we might have an easy time of it. Seems like the weather's been clear enough, so that'll at least help us." After her first trip up here, blizzards tore across Frost Gale and made it impossible for merchants to make it between cities easily. Now that the blizzards settled down, there's yetis afoot. That'll be easier than a dragon... hopefully.
Once they get out of town, Astrid pauses and looks at Gerhart. "Don't freak out, I'm gonna call fer some help ta keep an eye out ahead of us." And with that, she claps her hands together, musters up a bit of magic, and a ghostly woman manifests behind her. The woman has long, flowing hair, soft features on an elven face, and wears a tattered dress. "Hiya, Miss Melodia!" Astrid says cheerfully. "This is Gerhart. We're lookin' fer yetis that are attackin' folks on the road! Do ya mind scoutin' ahead and reportin' back if ya see anythin'? I'll call on ya every... I dunno, coupla hours cause we might not run into anythin' fer a couple days."
Melodia gives Astrid a kind smile then inclines her head towards Gerhart. "Good to meet you, Gerhart. Of course, I can keep an eye out ahead for you both. Have you both got all your warm clothes for this journey?"
Astrid sparks a flame on her bright red gauntlets, wreathing her forearms in warmth. "Yup!"
"Good," the motherly woman replies. "Stay warm, both of you." Then she floats ahead of them to keep an eye out for anything along the road.
Call Ghost [post 1/3]
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Dec 26, 2022 23:11:40 GMT -5
"Few days out in the wastes should be nothing then." A little nod as he pulls his cloak around the front to help deaden the wind just a bit. Any blunting of the cold will do well. He raises a curious eyebrow to Astrid as she summons the spirit.
In what is likely a relief of both of them, he doesn't flinch or seem scared. In fact, he seems incredibly interested in this. "Huh....fancy that. Is that like a spell or uh...just something you can do? My sister can do something similar. She reads cards and talks with the spirits to read people's fortunes and such. She'd be interested in this."
He grins brightly watching the interaction take place. Now that this is happening, Gerhart is no longer rushing to get this mission over with. The moment has his full rapt attention as they go through their conversation.
"Thank you Miss Melodia!" With a call and a wave he watches the ghost floating off, giving her plenty of time to take a head start before starting to walk again. The new friend was going to come in handy he felt like, Miss melodia could probably travel much faster and more easily than them.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 26, 2022 23:48:10 GMT -5
It definitely brings some relief to Astrid to see that Gerhart doesn't startle or panic about the spirit attached to her. With Melodia headed off ahead of them, she gets to walking with her fellow fighter's guild member. "It might be a spell," she says thoughtfully. "Honestly, didn't really think about it that way though. We met Miss Melodia in an abandoned orphanage in the Marsh Flats. Turns out she was takin' care of a buncha orphans there, at least guidin' 'em on how ta keep themselves safe. I knew of a fella with an orphanage, and she wanted ta come along, so she did some magical thing. Now she's just kinda... tied ta me? I think?" The girl shrugs a bit at that. She couldn't explain the connection if she wanted to. It's not like other magic she's found herself able to cast.
Snow crunches beneath the half-dwarf's feet while they walk. "I like havin' her around. She's good at remindin' me ta take care of meself, and she's real helpful and supportive." A bit of pain flickers in Astrid's expression as she looks across the vast expanse of snow and mountains ahead of them. She can't help imagining that Melodia is what a loving mother might act like. But that fades as she recalls something else. "Sometimes it's hard ta be nice ta adults that don't really respect ya 'cause yer a little kid. She's taught me how ta deal with 'em, and there's times I call on her ta give folks an earful. It's funny."
Her eyes peek out from below her hood to look at Gerhart. "Ya said yer sister can do a bit of talkin' with spirits? How's that work? Usin' cards ta read people's fortunes... That sounds really cool! What's it like havin' a sister?" Being a street kid with only a name to denote her family ties, Astrid doesn't get a lot of opportunities to hear about people who have family they get along with. Cantio avoids his family, and Blue Raspberry...is an ooze.
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Dec 26, 2022 23:59:38 GMT -5
"Tied to an orphanage huh?...." He tries to think about anyone he knows that might be attached to an orphange. He had already run into people who know who Shaa was so maybe he would no someone, but think as he might no names come to mind.
Out of the corner of his eyes he catches that very small change in expression as Astrid mentions how Melodia treats her and keeps her safe. "Yeah it gets to be a bit of a pain doesn't it? Think they have all the answers just cause they've lived a couple years more." He gives a snort of a laugh and a smirk, it's hopefully clear to Astrid he shares a bit of those feelings, there's no condecension or treating her like a kid. Hells, Astrid was in the Fighter's Guild so that meant she could fight. The hammer wasn't for show, so he didn't need to baby her.
"It's....something....she's not my actual sister, but she might as well be. I think we were about the same age when mom and dad found the group of us kids. She's a pain in the ass most of the time, but it's nice knowing you always have someone in your corner, ya know? Like everyone in the fighter's guild or Miss Melodia."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 27, 2022 0:09:02 GMT -5
Gerhart's levity really helps keep Astrid from sinking too far into reminiscing on negative memories. Things are much better than the times before she set off on her own thanks to a certain group of strange adults. She can't help laughing along with him. "Aye! Last time I was up this way, this lady thought she knew better than me! Tried ta smack me with her hammer, and ohhhh, the look on her face when I caught it against me arm!" The girl laughs even harder, stumbling forward along the path. "I had a great time that day!"
Wiping the icy tears from her eyes from her laughter, she settles down a little. This is a good time already. Astrid looks at Gerhart with confidence beaming through her gap-toothed smile. "If there's one thing I learned in the last few months, it's that blood don't make ya family," she says. "I know exactly what ya mean about havin' someone in yer corner. It feels really good. Like yer chest swells with pride when ya think about the people that choose ta be in yer corner despite everythin'."
Though she lets what he said settle on her brow. "Are ya adopted too?" she asks. To her, being adopted is exactly having people in your corner who choose to be there. They put themselves out to keep someone else feeling safe and secure, even if they're not flesh and blood. That's a powerful bond to her. More than a blood bond, anyway.
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Dec 27, 2022 8:35:05 GMT -5
Gerhart gives a bright laugh at Astrid's story as well, it seemed these two shared a few experiences, the half-dwarf was just much quicker to find her calling than Gerhart was it seemed. He nods firmly when she mentions the bonds of a found family.
"Nothing official or anything, but pretty much...There were about five of us kids that were kinda on our own....Mom and Dad run a traveling circus show, but apparently dad used to be an orphan too so as sour as he likes to act, he had a soft spot for us." He grins, laughing softly. "People in the village we escaped to were nice and made sure we didn't starve, but Dad was the first one who really tried to care for us ya know? Do more than just a little meal and offer a threadbare blanket."
The smile holds to his face even as his eyes drift off thinking about the past. He certainly had come a long way since then....the group of kids barely had enough between them to make, now? Now he owned a home, he had expensive armor and weapons, he was invited to court sometimes. He'd kept himself so busy these past few months that he didn't really notice how much progress he had made until now.
"What about you? I see you have plenty of friends already." Gerhart smiled, motioning to the hell hound. "Any one outside the Fighter's Guild you call family?
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 27, 2022 22:07:08 GMT -5
Nothing official? Is there an official means of being adopted Astrid doesn't know about? She's going to have to dig into that later. Then again, she doesn't need some paperwork to say she's officially adopted. The means by which she got herself a parent aren't exactly the usual means, it seems.
When Gerhart asks if she has anyone she calls family, she grins the cutest, brightest, and proudest grin a kid could grin. "Aye, I do!" she says excitedly. Patting the hellhound's head, she grins. "Charles and Spicy Pawsage were both gifts. Er, Charles was technically a reward cause Miss Veliky wouldn't call it a gift even if she wanted ta. Though I think he's mostly around ta carry me stuff and babysit."
Charles, the bot stumbling through the snow behind them, speaks up. "Conscript Gerhart, report: This unit's name refers to its assigned programming. C.H.A.R.L.E.S. stands for Chasing and Herding Astrid Reactionary Legionnaire Encumbrance Specialization. Simplified report: This unit carries Mistress Astrid's belongings."
Astrid rolls her eyes a little bit. "Sometimes I think he's just me babysitter cause Miss Veliky won't admit she kinda likes me." This is partially a joke, something she tells herself as some form of motivation.
"Mistress Astrid, report: This unit would be dismantled for sitting upon you. Additional report: Mistress Astrid would likely be doing the dismantling herself."
"Anyway, I also got meself an adopted da a couple months ago. Funny ya said yer parents run a circus, me da's a bard! Guess we're a coupla showbiz kids." Astrid winks as she jokes before continuing. "He's got a bit of stage fright, though. I'm gonna help him work through it whether he knows it or not. Haven't quite figured that part out yet, but that's alright. We've got lotsa time."
The half-dwarf looks Gerhart up and down. Actually, Gerhart looks to be an age similar to Cantio. Maybe tieflings age differently? She's not really sure. Wait, how old is Cantio? She never thought to ask - it wasn't something that really mattered to her before. Well, still doesn't matter. She moves on from the thought.
"I know what ya mean 'bout gettin' more than a scrappy meal," she says, continuing a thought from before. "Bet yer not a picky eater. I know I'm not! I always tell folks a few meals from the garbage and all yer queasiness will go right away!" With that, she lets out another laugh.
"Met me da the first time with a coupla other folks. I was sittin' 'round mindin' me own business when he walked up and asked if I was lost. Most folks around didn't bat an eye at me, so I knew he weren't local. Then he and the others bought me some new clothes and a meal and a bath and this!" Suddenly, Astrid whips out her battle hammer and proudly holds it aloft. "Me first real hammer!" Twisting it in her hand, she admires the scuffs she couldn't polish out. "This thing saved me butt a few good times. Had it ever since."
Then she puts it back in the loop on her belt and looks at Gerhart again. It's nice finding kinship with other folks who've lived through similar experiences. "How'd gettin' unofficially adopted happen fer ya?"
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Dec 27, 2022 23:21:07 GMT -5
Strangely, the robot does get a bit more of a reaction out of Gerhart but only one of surprise and amazement. This was something he had never seen before. "Charles huh? Interesting name ya got there, thankfully it's shortened to just Charles I wouldn't remember all that." He laughs softly.
He happily lets Astrid talk, not wanting to interrupt her at all. It was a bit funny, the others he'd met in the guild tended to be a bit less talkative about this kind of stuff, but finally he had a friend who was equally as talkative. It probably annoys Zarius having two loud people, that would be fun to exploit at some point.
"Seems like we got a lot in common! I don't know what makes a bard a bard, but dad knows music. Though he mostly performs with puppets....silly little shows for us kids, ya know?" He grins. "Oh the garbage has some of the best, plus get a little fire going and you won't have to worry baout the germs and stuff!"
He settles back to listening once more while Astrid talks, giving her his full atention. Gerhart does marvel at the hammer, very well made, seemed to balance incredible well in her hands. Easy to tell from how she handles it that Astrid is pretty proficient with it.
"I don't know if it ever was like a thing, ya know? After everything happened, I think Dad kind of helped us along when he found us....He would tell us stories, mom would make food, made us all forget we were orphans for a bit. I don't know how he feels about me being an adventurer and all, he never had a high opinion of it....been awhile since I've seen him. I was the only one of us kids that decided to follow the caravan, figured I could help make us kids a few coins while performing so we could feed our selves and stuff." As they walk and talk, he turns his eyes to the snow and follows the tracks left behind to see if he could spot out any yeti tracks. "Eventually we all became adults, most of them found other jobs or apprenticeships and such, Dad went off to travel and perform other places and I stayed behind in Moonglade until I tried tracking him down to a big city, fought a guy named Zarius, got into the fighter's guild so on and so forth and we're here!"
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 28, 2022 0:06:17 GMT -5
Happy to have someone with similar experiences to chat with, Astrid listens intently while Gerhart talks. It actually makes her really happy to have something in common with someone else. As much as she loves and values her friendship with Blue Raspberry, their experiences are... very different. That doesn't seem to be the case with Gerhart. Sure he's a few years older, but age doesn't mean much when you've been through some stuff.
"I'm glad ya put yerself out there and found a real family," she says with a smile. "Yer real nice, and ya deserve nice things and nice people in yer life. Sometimes it's disappointin' ta hear folks don't want much ta do with their family, but everyone's got their reasons. Honestly, if I ran into me mum again, I'm not even sure what I'd do about it. I've got a lotta questions, and I'm not so sure I want the answers no more. I've got people now that I care a lot about, and they care about me. That's what matters, ain't it?"
When Gerhart mentions Zarius, Astrid's face lights up. "Oh! Mister Zarius! He helped pay fer me hammer! And he went along on me first adventure. I didn't even know he was in the fighter's guild until I saw him rummagin' around lookin' fer clues about Miss Athena's disappearance recently. He seems like he's doin' alright."
Realizing that they've been walking and talking for a while, Astrid calls Melodia back. She grins up at the woman when she manifests. "Hiya, Miss Melodia!"
"Hello, Astrid dear. You seem to be in good spirits," the phantom says, smiling in return. "You must be in good company."
"Aye! We're havin' a good time reminiscin'! Didja find anythin' up ahead?"
"I think I spotted something, but the magic binding me here faded before I could get too close," Melodia replies. "There was an unusual snowdrift in the distance along the road. It's a few miles ahead. I think you'll make it there before sundown." Melodia is quite generous with her estimate. Being a specter, she could move quickly without being impeded by the snow. The same can't be said for those traveling on foot.
Astrid looks at Gerhart. "Ya got a way ta go faster?"
Call Ghost [post 1/3]
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Dec 29, 2022 0:16:09 GMT -5
"I could say the same about you Astrid." He grins. "Sometimes feels hard to get close to Shaa cause he can be so intimidating, then there's Zarius and his tough outer shell. Good to have someone a bit more down to earth." Another small laugh is given as he nods in agreement with Astrid, finding people that care about you is about the only thing that matters at the end of the day.
He breathed a sigh of relief hearing that there was something ahead, that meant they hadn't wasted half the day walking in the wrong direction. "Unusual how? Did it look like there was something hiding it in or like covered by it?"
An eyebrow is raised waiting for a response for a moment before he looks to Astrid. He gives an apologetic smile with hand son hips, "Afraid I don't, but if we can't find shelter enough before the sun comes down I do have a secret cottage thingy that can get us through the night." Gerhart pats a small keychain with a seemingly wooden pumpkin attached to it. "Will give us comfortable accomodations, but only for a night. After that we will have to hoof it, so let's hope we can find something suitable."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 31, 2022 1:43:09 GMT -5
Astrid looks at the little pumpkin chain and lights up. "Oh, that's a special thin', ain't it? I've seen one before but never seen what it does! Gives ya a place ta stay? Like a little tent? That'll be helpful, I bet!" Hands on her hips, unintentionally echoing Gerhart's pose, Astrid grins up at the man. A cold wind sweeps across them both, sending a shiver along her spine. "Oh, that's brisk. Alright, well, let's get there quick, yeah?"
Astrid claps her hands together a bit then waves Charles over. "Catch up already, would ya?" she says as the BlixtbotTM struggles through the snow.
In some explanation or apology, Charles says, "Mistress Astrid, report: the snow reduces operational efficiency by 28%."
"Ay, that's alright. Figured I'd see how ya do," she replies, seeming completely unbothered. "I'll put ya in storage fer the rest of the trip. In ya go!" Then Astrid casts a bit of magic that seems to suck Charles up into a pocket like a vacuum. Within a second, the Type-I Pawn Model is gone. "Okay, now that that's taken care of, I can help ya run faster for a bit, Gerhart. Let's go!"
Astrid claps Gerhart on the back and a surge of prickly magic flows through him. For lack of a better term, he feels faster. Then Astrid does the same to herself, bits of blue electricity sparking in her eyes. "Race ya there!" Then she dashes forward at inhuman speed a short distance before continuing her run through the snow, still fast but not so fast that she's a blur.
As she takes off, Melodia looks to Gerhart. "Well, I suppose you should try to keep up!" Then the magic tying her to this plane fades and she disappears from sight.
Charles - Scarecrow Squire (pet) Pet Pocket - This spell gives the owner a single permanent pocket space that can be used to store a pet inside of, regardless of size. The pet can live inside of this pocket without aging, growing hungry and being affected by anything. The owner can then summon forth the pet from the pocket dimension, bringing it into the real world to assist its owner. Quicken - By casting this spell on yourself or an ally, you cause them to speed up for their next post. During the next few seconds, the person affected will be able to move twice as fast as normal, increasing their running and moving speed.
Bullet Dash - By swirling wind and lightning around your person, you create enough of a charge to dash insanely quickly in any direction. Your body blurs forward, dashing at inhuman speeds for a very brief distance. This spell is a great gap closer or spell for dodging quick attacks.
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Dec 31, 2022 10:33:41 GMT -5
Despite the boost to speed, Gerhart does fall behind a moment still processing seeing the robot get just sucked into a pocket. He really should be more used to magic and its capabilities at this point, but there are some things your brain isn't ready to see.
He stumbles forward before catching himself and taking off in a dead sprint to catch up with Astrid. Thank Ginma for all his time spent wandering and hunting in the woods, he had no problems keeping up and maintaining a decent running speed.
The increased speed is a bit of a variable he wasn't ready for, so minding his pace his a bit odd. Thankfully for them both it isn't too long until they come upon what Melodia had warned them about. He comes to a skidding stop, kicking up a bit of snow as he looks at the snowdrift.
It's hard to see at first, but the wind belows a bit of the softer snow away. Yeti tracks. "I'm not sure we want to exactly see what's under that snow drift, but the yetis have been here. Footprints don't last long in the snow like this, so it's probably nearby."
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